UConn football notebook

Published 7:32 pm, Saturday, August 17, 2013

OUCH!: Graham Stewart chooses an interesting analogy to describe the first setback of his career.

"You know the railroad ties that they put into railroads?" he asks. "It felt like someone put one right on my chest and took a sledgehammer and -- boom! -- hit it right in there."

A torn pectoral muscle suffered during a 435-pound bench press delayed the beginning of Stewart's career at UConn, forcing him to observe the highly productive trio of Sio Moore, Yawin Smallwood and Jory Johnson a year ago.

A family wedding delayed the start of his 2013 campaign: his sister tied the knot on Aug. 2, the same day that UConn held its first practice.

But now, the wait is over for Stewart, perhaps the most highly-decorated Connecticut recruit to land in Storrs since Dan Orlovsky.

Stewart, who transferred from Florida after his freshman season, begins his new career rather quietly. For instance: After Saturday's practice, while Smallwood, an All-American candidate, signed autographs for fans, Stewart simply chatted with his mother and father.

"My dad loves it," Stewart said. "He's here every chance he gets."

A 6-foot-2, 236-pounder with a nonstop motor, Stewart opted to leave Gainesville for Storrs because of his family. He's never publicly provided any specifics, but said he was generally bothered that he couldn't "celebrate with family" in Florida.

"It makes you think about why you play the game," Stewart said. "You play for yourself, and you also play for your family, for your last name."

This fall, the Stewarts will likely see their son at a starting outside linebacker position, in the spot vacated by Sio Moore, who today is listed as a starter for the Oakland Raiders. During his collegiate career, Moore was always vocal about the "chip on his shoulder," so to speak, that was created due to the perception of UConn football. He felt the Huskies, and their defense in particular, were sometimes slighted. Stewart, conversely, was never overlooked: He's one of four recent Connecticut recruits to sign with Florida (Bristol's Aaron Hernandez, New London's Jordan Reed and Ridgefield's Tommy Jordan are the others).

"Florida is definitely a big program," Smallwood said, "so guys were anxious to see him when he got here."

What they've seen so far has been impressive. Described in the spring as "very compact and very intense" by coach Paul Pasqualoni, Stewart has been "going 100 miles an hour and making plays," as Smallwood put it.

The redshirt sophomore feels healthy, too. He's a full year removed from the brutal pectoral tear, the first major injury of his life.

"Literally, it happened on the last day of training (last year)," Stewart said. "It just felt like the carpet was taken right out from your feet."

While rehabbing, Stewart spent the year studying the starters and analyzing technique, attempting to elevate "the mental aspect" of his game. He spent time with former high school teammates Sean Marinan and Tim Boyle, both of whom made the Xavier-to-UConn jump. And, of course, he got to see his family.

"If I could have done it all over again," Stewart said, "I think I would have just come here in the first place."

McQuillan Injured: An otherwise upbeat Saturday morning practice hit a low point when tight end Sean McQuillan suffered a concussion on a hard hit from cornerback Taylor Mack.

McQuillan, the favorite to start, lay on the ground for about 10 minutes before an ambulance took him to Windham Hospital. His head and neck CT scan revealed nothing out of the ordinary, according to a team official. He returned to the Burton Football complex Saturday afternoon and will go through normal concussion protocol.

It remains to be seen how much time McQuillan, a 6-foot-4, 237-pound redshirt sophomore from Glastonbury, will miss. It could be a crucial injury for the Huskies, who are already thin at the position. True freshmen Tommy Myers and Michael Boland are likely to get reps in McQuillan's absence.

"It puts a damper on (the practice)," Pasqualoni said after McQuillan was taken away. "I'm optimistic he'll be O.K."

On the play, which Pasqualoni described as "bang-bang," Chandler Whitmer threw the ball to McQuillan in the flat, where he was promptly met by Mack, sitting in zone coverage.

"When you're playing that type of coverage, (the corner) is playing the ball more than the guy," Pasqualoni said. "Often times, you don't even see the guy is what happens. You see the ball. You're going for the ball and they collide. That's always been part of (the game)."

Under the NCAA's new "targeting" rules, such hits will be reviewed and could result in immediate ejection.

"The issue is, with the targeting rule, they want the defensive guys to lower the target," Pasqualoni said. "So you've got to hit him lower. That's going to be a major point of emphasis early on until they get it established. I think you're going to see guys suspended."

Quarterback Competition: While it appears Chandler Whitmer will be the starter, Pasqualoni isn't ready to make anything official.

"I wouldn't make any statements yet," Pasqualoni said. "We've still got a few days to go, so we're juggling the reps a little bit."